jaysblue

That OF has to be one of the worst in baseball in terms of a contending team. You would think considering how slow the FA market has been, they would have been able to sign some guys on the cheap in order to patch up their lineup. Carlos Gonzalez is still a FA and I'm sure if you offer him a MLB deal, he'll sign for $2-3 million. Heck even Adam Jones is still available and would be a nice fit on that team. Or even Denard Span. Forsythe would be a nice pickup on a MiLB deal as a utility guy in case Kipnis continues to struggle with the bat at 2B. I would even sign Evan Gattis as a DH for $2-3 million.

Also, Salazar in the wings if one of those guys go down.

$6 tickets on StubHub to sit anywhere in the 500's and a weeknight game in April or May likely will cost $20-$30 for very good lower level seats.

Vlad's debut hands down. Not getting Opening Day tickets this season. Gonna stay home Thursday and stream all the games on MLB.TV in the comfort of my own home, drinking my own beer, and eating my own food!

I guess I'll draft you in my division.

Canuck?

Who is Whole Lotta Spooge?

Against weaker teams, Raptors could get by with KL, though playoff positioning is really still important. I don't have a problem with them resting him to make sure he's fully healthy for the playoffs. If he sits out tonight, he shouldn't be allowed to play in the All-Star Game then. Plain and simple. If he's good enough to play on Sunday, then he is good enough to suit up tonight.

Jedd Gyorko could be a solid piece if healthy.

Good thing I didn't waste a draft pick on him in the League of Despair.

Take a look at my bullpen.

Omri Casspi would be a nice pickup. Has had success in the past shooting 3's. Last season he was a solid bench player on Golden State.

Yes, but it still doesn't happen overnight like you're suggesting. You probably still need 4-5 years until you're a serious contender for an NBA championship. Tanking won't work in Toronto. Fans won't come to the games and as well it'll even be a lot more tougher to sign FA's or keep players here. It's better that the Raptors stay relevant even if that means coming in 4th or 5th and getting eliminated in the second round for 2-3 years after KL leaves. Because when a player like KL or AD become available with one-year left on their contract, you likely will able to swing something and greatly improve your team. We're talking about the East here which has been pretty weak for some time. Even after KL leaves, there is no reason for the Raptors to tank. They still have Siakam, OG and Freddy, along with solid veterans in Lowry, Ibaka, Gasol and they likely will re-sign Green. Masai could get creative again and make another trade this offseason to bring in a solid player to replace KL. As well, might be able to sign a middle-tier FA that could help as well. If the Raptors didn't have Siakam and OG, and if Lowry and Gasol were in serious decline, then sure blow it up.

I'm willing to make a move that upgrades my team roster for this season.

Raptors sucked for how many years and did they win a championship from it? Did those lottery picks turn into anything special? Other than Chris Bosh in 2003 and Demar DeRozan in 2009, the Raptors high draft picks after sucking all those years really weren't franchise changing players. The Raptors the past 4-5 years have been able to remain competitive and draft solid players like OG, Siakam, and Poeltl (who was used as a trade chip in the KL deal).

Matt Devlin made the point before tipoff tonight that the Raptors have done a good job at being competitive and keeping an eye towards the future. The Raptors weren't a team who tanked the past 4-5 years but still have managed to draft guys like Siakam, and OG. I forgot the exact quote he said, but it was perfect.

Cruz is going to have to get his outfield glove back out of storage.

Looking to trade Stephen Strasburg.

MLSE cares about the regular season lol. It's a freakin' business. When the Raptors sucked, the ACC was empty. The Raptors aren't like the Leafs, who can still fill an arena even if they suck. I don't think the Raptors need to go into a complete rebuild after KL leaves and I doubt Masai does that anyways. He'll have Siakam and OG already with more experience, and if they keep Lowry and Gasol around, resign Green and bring in another piece or two to replace KL, they still have a very competitive team in the East. The Raptors still have a very bright future with guys like Siakam, OG and Freddy to build around long term with some vets like Lowry, Green, Gasol and Ibaka. Add some other complimentary pieces to that, and the Raptors are still a very good team in the East.

They don't need to pull the trigger on a complete rebuild though, even after KL leaves. You surely don't remember some of the awful seasons the Raptors had - did the win a championship after from it?

Where is the draft taking place? Like how can we see who is available?

He was ahead of Joey Votto as well lol.

Not really. Travis Snider I think was ranked as a Top-10 prospect in baseball at some point and there was a lot of hype surrounding him on the message board in 2008. Not as much as Vlad obviously. Lawrie was maybe considered a Top 20-25ish prospect in all of baseball, but with him being Canadian there was a lot more hype around his callup.

Don't forget Travis Snider.

I'm not worried about the future as well. This team isn't going to go through a complete rebuild like tank for the next 4-5 seasons. Even if KL leaves, the Raps can retool on the fly and still be competitive. They likely will still have Lowry and Gasol, unless Masai trades Lowry and Gasol declines his player option. Siakam and OG will have another year experience under their belt, so will Freddy. Better to stay relevant rather than being the Atlanta Hawks or the New York Knicks for the next 4-5 years. Basketball isn't like hockey here in the city. Fans won't be filling the arena if the Raps are only a 20 win team for the next couple of seasons.